As Prophet - Chapter 17



Only Krnovel

Episode 17. Victory and Baek I-jeong

“Is this the Hanyang-bound train? Are you getting on?”

Baek Sa-ban nodded.

“Although I am not talented, I wanted to do something great, and through this work, my abilities have been recognized. I appreciate your hard work.”

Baek Yi-hyung got up, took a proper posture, and bowed.

“Congratulations in advance. Congratulations on your ride.”

“Hahaha! The edict hasn’t come down yet.”

“We saw it too. It seemed like the commander-in-chief and the defense commissioner were living together with the magistrate Na-ri.”

“We came down in a hurry and were not prepared, but we achieved this feat. How happy they must have been. Furthermore, we were the first to cross the wall and open the south gate. The fact that Udo’s troops were able to cross the wall was also through the rampart we built.”

“What happened? They were attacking the right flank.”

“I sent a messenger to inform you that this place has been breached, so don’t suffer there and come here.”

“Hahaha! So that’s what happened.”

“Okay, let me have a drink.”

The magistrate poured Baek Ui-hyeong some alcohol. Dal-cheon refused to accept it.

“I’m still young and can’t handle alcohol.”

“Oh, oh, oh. You were like a fierce tiger on the battlefield, but you can’t drink alcohol like this?”

“I hope you understand. I have something to study too.”

Before he could say anything else, Baek Ui-hyeong took the glass instead of his head.

“It is the priest’s cup, so I, the executioner, will drink it instead. Please let me drink it.”

“Oh my! Those two really look good together.”

He held a feast on the way home and went out the next day. Every time he stopped at a town on the way, the people came out and cheered him on. He ordered the soldiers not to harm the civilians, and he avoided the towns and camped. It took twice as long to get to the county as it did to go down, and when he arrived, the people came out to greet him from 10 li away.

The family of the county magistrate, whom the six quarters’ retinue had been waiting for, came out and bowed deeply on the road.

“You’ve worked hard on the expedition. I’m so glad you’ve returned victorious. Congratulations on your victory.”

Sentences with similar nuances continued to flow endlessly. Families were out on the roadside, and chaos was in full swing. Since it was the county with the most soldiers, most families sent one person to battle. They searched for their father, husband, and son, and at some point, the army and the people came together. They searched for their father on the roadside and ran to hug him. The women couldn’t bear to do that, so they wiped their tears and glanced at their husbands and sons. A feast of tears broke out on the road to the town. Only Dalcheon, who had no connection to the county, stood there blankly.

The magistrate, who had been sharing the joy of reunion, belatedly saw the scene unfolding on the road and shook his head. The magistrate’s daughter, Baek I-jeong, approached Dal-cheon with her father by her side and bowed down.

“I wholeheartedly welcome your safe return, merchant.”

“thank you.”

As a half-example, I didn’t bow lightly and didn’t straighten my posture first. When I felt her body straighten, I slowly straightened my body and smiled.

“Thank you for protecting my father.”

Dalcheon blinked. He suddenly remembered what he had asked when he left and the time when he had paid no attention. He had taken no action despite the sincere and earnest request from the other party. There was no danger… … . In any case, his face turned red. Feeling embarrassed, he took a step toward the magistrate’s family. Baek Yi-jeong had no choice but to follow him and stand next to his family.

“Thanks to this guy, we were able to win. He was the first to get over the wall and open the south gate. He opened the way for the army to enter the castle. When the south gate was opened and the army entered, they were annihilated, and we were able to end the battle in four hours.”

At Baek Ui-hyeong’s words of congratulations, Dal-cheon quietly lowered his head and looked at the ground. Baek Ui-hyeong grabbed his shoulder and shook it.

“Hahaha! Auntie, this guy is really amazing.”

Dalcheon, who blushed at the praise he received, pulled away and went to the back. Baek I-jeong made a gesture to follow him, but he quickly ran away, so there was nothing he could do. He went to the back of the long line of soldiers who were happily embracing their families.

Immediately after the battle, the bodies were salved, put into hastily made pine coffins, and placed on shabby carts. Three were laid on the floor, and three more were raised, and names were written at the ends of the coffins. Those who had not found their fathers and husbands held onto the carts at the end of the procession and cried. Since they had already received news of the dead, their long, dry cries poured out in sorrow. The sound of the coffins, which had been crying for several days and could not even make a sound, pierced the hearts of those who heard them.

When he came, he checked each coffin with his name written on it and gave it to those who could not read, and he cried while holding the wheel of the cart. Dalcheon turned his head as he saw those who were sitting around the three carts. He comforted those who were trying to take out the coffins and praised their hard work, but the dead man did not say anything.

Beyond the western mountains, a redder sunset than blood descended. The sound of wailing continued until the color changed to purple. The soldiers who had shared the joy of reunion returned with regretful hearts and pulled and pushed the cart. I pushed from behind even though it was pulled by a horse. Because that was all I could do.

A feast was held in the open space in front of the town wall. The number of people who were discharged from the army and enjoyed themselves with their families exceeded thousands. The county magistrate brought out everything he could to comfort the people. When soldiers take off their armor, they become the people.

* * *

I left this happy and joyful place and returned to my lodgings. I think it was called “Yeomindongrak (與民同樂).”

* Yeomindongrak: meaning ‘sharing joys with the people’, a metaphor for the attitude of a ruler who shares joys and sorrows with the people. Originated from ‘Mencius’.

Dalcheon knows that he is not a commoner. He has experienced what he thought was the work of the secret police and commanding troops on the battlefield. Furthermore, he is not a ruler. He does not hold a position like a county magistrate, nor is he a member of the six divisions, and in a way, he acts as the county magistrate’s personal bodyguard.

The reason I quietly left the place was because I thought that neither here nor there was my place. I had no particular complaints, and I didn’t have a family, so I quietly left the place. The wide open space in front of the castle gate must have been a mess, but that’s for tomorrow. He moved quietly to a distant place where he could hear the singing, and returned to his room in the wing of the house attached to the main building.

He leaned the Cheongryonggeuk against the wall, put down his helmet first, and then untied his belt and placed it next to him. He poured out his sword, short sword, bow, and accessories. As he took off his armor, an old smell rose up. He didn’t notice it normally, but when he put it on and took it off, it stung his nose as if it was going to come over. The smell of blood wouldn’t go away even if he wiped it. It seemed like he needed to get it repaired.

The two fins inside the armor were fine. The problem was the outside, which was made of leather and cloth. He put his nose up to it and sniffed it, then sighed. It might be harder to return the armor to its original state than the battle itself. People are annoying. When he took off the upper armor, the martial arts uniform inside was revealed.

* Sangap (裳甲): Wrapped around the waist like a skirt to protect both legs. Especially necessary for cavalry.

The inside wasn’t all right either. The blood that had seeped in from the outside had stained the uniform inside in an ugly way. It seemed like it would need to be washed in cold water for two nights and three days. When I saw it displayed on the veranda like a parade, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Phew.”

I was about to take off my uniform but sat down instead when I heard someone’s voice coming from the entrance of the secret room.

“Why are you sighing so much?”

It was a familiar voice. It was Baek I-jeong, the daughter of the county magistrate.

“Are you here?”

He walked with both hands clasped in front of him, and a woman with a ponytail who seemed to be a maid from his family followed him.

“I looked for it but couldn’t find it, so I came here.”

“I skipped out a bit because I thought the party would take a long time.”

“Haha, why? On this fine day.”

“Ugh. The soldiers are having a good time with their families, so I thought it would be embarrassing for them if I just stood there blankly.”

“That’s not true. Everyone was busy praising and bragging about the spleen’s inaction.”

“It’s a performance. We all fought together, so who should I praise? Everyone worked hard… … .”

“Someone told me that I felt a little lost because I didn’t have a family.”

Who could it be? It would be the spleen-wearing white-clad type.

It seemed to be getting dark, so he brought the torch from the entrance of the secret hall and lit the courtyard. Meanwhile, Baek Yi-jeong looked closely at the things Dal-cheon had laid out. He realized belatedly that all the black stains were blood and covered his mouth with his hand.

“It’s dirty. Don’t come near it.”

Baek Yi-jeong’s gaze lingered on Dal-cheon’s stained uniform. There were marks left in the shape of armor, and it was clear that they were all soaked in blood.

“How rough it must have been… … . Were you hurt?”

“It’s all other people’s blood. I wasn’t hurt. Ahaha.”

Baek I-jeong recommended it to Dal-cheon.

“Please take off your uniform. I will clean you up.”

“No. It’s dirty.”

“There must be other clothes inside. Please change into them and give them to me.”

“There’s blood on it… … .”

Dalcheon’s words did not continue. The servant who came with Baek I-jeong began to gather the armor one by one.

“You don’t have to do this.”

The servant carried a small thing and went to the room, then brought two or three more people. It was only one person’s armor, but it was too heavy for a woman to carry. The servant pushed Dalcheon into the room, so Dalcheon was forced to change his clothes. The clothes he wore when he came down from the mountain were a little short. This was because he had grown taller. There was no other clothes, so there was nothing he could do.

After changing clothes and coming out, Baek Yi-jeong’s gaze again scrutinized Dal-cheon’s clothes. A bachelor living alone couldn’t possibly have anything decent. He said he didn’t have a family, and that he lacked social skills because he had lived in the mountains since he was young. He also said that he had to be careful because his martial arts were excellent, and that he was different from us… … . Was that why he kept his distance from people? He said that he was someone who would have to go back to the mountains someday.

“Whew, with this… … .”

Dalcheon pushed it aside, fearing that he might take the weapon as well.

“Thank you again. I am so happy that your father is back safe and sound.”

“I haven’t done much.”

“I heard that while leading the battle to victory, your father always stayed behind.”

“You are a civil official. How can you make me stand in the front when you know that I have no martial arts skills?”

“So thank you.”

“Ahahaha. Stop it now.”

“You might be going up to Hanyang soon.”

“Hmm. The ball is big, so I guess you’ll get on. I overheard the commander and the defense officer talking a few times. That’s what it’ll be like.”

Baek Yi-jeong took a step to the side, drew attention, and then made a request.

“I would like to ask you to join me at that time.”

Dalcheon tilted his head.

“If you go to Hanyang, you won’t need a secretary like me anymore.”

“Father wishes it.”

“It would be shameless to do something you don’t need to do because you asked.”

Baek Yi-jeong changed the subject.

“My family home is in Yangju. It is not my hometown, but I have a fairly large house and a large field. I am not rich, but I have no shortage of things to do to serve you.

The river winds around not far away, and the scenery is beautiful. It is a place where the green changes color with each season, making it very beautiful.

“Father will ask separately, but I wanted to make sure there were no words of rejection in advance.”